Simpson challenges status quo in speaker's race

Simpson said it is in Texas' best interest to keep the majority from taking away the rights of minorities.

Dukes proposed a bill to require fracking chemical disclosure.

Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa

CORPUS CHRISTI - Longview Republican David Simpson's failed bid for Texas Speaker of the House ended on Tuesday with a flourish as Simpson chided the Republican establishment as too politically intolerant.

Simpson in his first term in Austin was a Republican standard-bearer, authoring buzzword legislation that gained headlines but little traction in committees.

The former mayor of Avinger, in deep northeast Texas, authored or co-authored bills making it a crime for a security guard to grope someone during a security screening.

He authored another bill outlawing state or local tax funding for abortion- or abortion-related service providers.

Yet, it was his fear of retribution from within his own party that held sway over his decision to withdraw from the speaker's race on Tuesday rather than force members to take the matter up in a floor vote.

It is the custom of every newly sworn House of Representatives to, as the first order of business, elect a speaker from among its membership.

"If fear of retribution were not so very real (then) conscientious support for an alternative solution for speaker would not cause such trepidation," Simpson said during his speech from the floor in the infant moments of the 83rd Legislature. "But since it is and absent certainty in winning this contest at the request of my colleagues, I withdraw my candidacy."

Calling upon such lofty notions as those espoused by President Thomas Jefferson regarding the sanctity of equal treatment under the law as critical to protecting minority interests, Simpson said it is in Texas' best interest to keep the majority from taking away the rights of minorities.

"I belong to the majority party, but I may not always," said Simpson, who holds a philosophy degree from Vanderbilt University. "And even so, not all majorities are decided by parties."

Simpson, who ran on a platform of basic reforms to the way the House conducts its business, on Wednesday managed to pass one rule requiring House committees to publish their operating expenses and another giving members access to funds traditionally held by the speaker's office.

The Chuy and Larry Show

Longtime State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and first-term Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, on Tuesday in Austin brought a bit of comic relief to the otherwise ceremonial proceedings marking the first day of a legislative session.

Taylor, elected to his first term in the Senate after five consecutive terms in the House, together with Hinojosa led an entourage of senators from the Senate chamber on the east side of the Capitol to the House Chamber on the west to announce to the House, as is the tradition on opening day, that the Senate is "organized and ready to transact business."

Responding to the smattering of whoops and applause upon hearing the announcement, Taylor replied, "I know, I used to laugh about that myself."

Hinojosa, who like Taylor served many sessions in the House before ascending to the Senate chamber, quickly countered.

"Mr. Speaker, you'll notice that they sent two former Marines — Senator (Carlos) Uresti and myself — to escort some of the new Senate members … back to the House," Hinojosa joked.

Perry: Spend it wisely

Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday in Austin told the Texas House of Representatives that having more money to spend does not mean they should spend it.

The former presidential candidate who now is hinting at another White House run said the comptroller's rosy revenue estimates upon which lawmakers will base the 2014-2015 state budget, while keeping at bay pressure to raise taxes, also present an another opportunity for Texas to get its "fiscal house in order for years to come."

"Trust me when I tell you there are interests all across the state that view (the comptroller's) revenue estimate as the equivalent of ringin' that dinner bell," Perry said in his second speech of the 83rd legislative session. (He first addressed the Senate.)

Perry said although there will be a rush to the trough to capture the "manna fallin' from heaven," Texas' economic windfall is an opportunity for state government to rededicate itself to the policies that made the Lone Star State an economic powerhouse.

Alluding to his budget compact with Texas, Perry reminded lawmakers that they must "stop writing IOUs to the next budget, delaying payments that we know are coming due."

He drew applause with certain position statements, including his declaration that if the House creates a fee for a specific purpose, it should be used for that purpose or discontinued.

Perry also called for tax relief while touting investments in Texas' water programs and transportation infrastructure as well as those geared to both higher and vocational education programs.

Dukes proposes fracking disclosure

Ten-term State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, on Thursday proposed legislation to bring more transparency to the hydraulic fracturing process driving Texas' oil and gas boom, including in the Eagle Ford Shale.

The bill would require, at least a month before drilling begins, written disclosure of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process to anyone living within 500 feet of a well site.

Operators pump a solution into a fracking well that is about 80 percent water and 15 percent sand. The other 5 percent is a mix of chemicals and acids.

Environmental groups have for years questioned whether the chemical mix is bad for drinking water supplies. No conclusive scientific evidence exists either in support of or opposition to the concerns.

Dukes' bill moves closer to home legislation passed in 2011 that required operators to post on a shared website the chemical mixtures used in specific wells.

The bill, however, did not require pre-drill disclosure of chemical mixtures and allowed companies to leave out any information deemed a trade secret.

Education task force gears up

A task force of local business leaders, educators and other stakeholders are gearing up to help South Texas lawmakers push vocational and technical workforce development to the 83rd Legislature.

Formed by state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, the Education Workforce Task Force will focus its efforts on addressing the education and skills training needed to fill thousands of industry jobs expected to flood South Texas in the coming decade.

Corpus Christi Independent School District board member and advertising professional Carol Scott, task force chairwoman, said demand has never been higher for skilled and unskilled workers.

"Job demand at the Eagle Ford Shale, combined with the day-to-day needs of our local refineries, have companies competing for the same candidate pool," Scott said. "We've left a lot of the needs of industry and business behind."

Scott said some models suggest there will be demand for up to 16,000 vocational and technical workers by 2016.

The drive will be for high school students to gain exposure to vocational-technical opportunities and be empowered to make an informed decision.

"Kids who want to pursue a vocational or technical degree over a four- or two-year degree should have the information they need to decide," Scott said.

State Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, said Tuesday that in his district, where the Eagle Ford Shale play is driving employment, people with master's degrees are on unemployment while those who have the skills needed in the oil field are commanding executive-level wages.

Based on Tuesday's remarks to open the 83rd Legislative session made both by Speaker of the House Joe Straus and Gov. Rick Perry, Hunter is not the only lawmaker with workforce development on the brain.

Both Straus and Perry said the state must invest in vocational and technical education programs.